The Orlando Police Department (OPD) recently launched “Operation Evaporation” in the Parramore Heritage area which has witnessed an upsurge in violent crime over the past two weeks.
“We have seen a spike in violent crimes and several shootings recently, and so ‘Operation Evaporation’ is being initiated aimed at providing a safe, livable community for the residents who live in the Parramore area,” said OPD’s Public Information Officer, Barb Jones. “The purpose of ‘Operation Evaporation’ is to identify and arrest the subjects committing these violent acts of crime, and become a high visible presence to deter any future criminal activity.”
The target area for the operation is within the Parramore Heritage boundaries, with its borders defined as West Colonial Drive to the North, Grand Street to the South, Hughey Avenue to the East and South Orange Blossom Trail to the West.
Jones said with the information gathered from the last two shootings it has been revealed that both incidents were drug related.
“By dissecting the core of the problem, which would be the subjects that continue to supply drugs to the area, commit the robberies, and peddle our streets with criminal activity, we aim to tackle and defeat the problem,” Jones said.
The operation which is one week old has netted so far, 150 suspicious person contacts, 12 felony arrests, 12 misdemeanor arrests and over 200 traffic contacts.
The upsurge in violent crime comes as the new multi-million dollar Amway Center, home to the Orlando Magic, and located in the Parramore area, nears completion. It is expected that the new facility will be opened in time for the 2010-11 NBA Season.
